Cert 12A
110 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence
Oh, how I look forward to the restorations of continental films of the 50s and 60s.
Those pre-European Union days represented a time when each nation had its own very individual culture.
Indeed, both France and Italy, which provide the backdrop to Claude Sautet's drama, have a certain chic which seems positively exotic by comparison to the Britain shown in movies of the same era.
This gangster film sweeps through the countryside of both states with a bit of back-street city grit thrown in.
Throughout, its characters' sharp suits show no signs of a crumple and their slicked hair never has a strand out of place.
The Big Risk surrounds Abel Davos (Lino Ventura), a hardened criminal who is on the run from a death sentence in Italy
Thus, while his wife (Simone France) and young sons make their escape to France, he and his accomplice (Stan Krol) attempt to bankroll the venture with an armed robbery.
All seems to be going well until tragedy strikes and Davos has to call on some former partners-in-crime for help.
As it turns out, his greatest assistance comes from a hoodlum he does not know in the shape of Jean-Paul Belmondo (this was released in the same year as Belmondo's big break, Breathless).
Ironically, The Big Risk would have been more aptly tagged Breathless because the pace from the opening scenes is relentless.
Ventura is a splendidly ruthless villain with a distinct soft side when it comes to his family or those he can really trust.
Meanwhile, Sandra Milo and Marcel Dalio are among a cast which oozes back-street desperation.
The Big Risk is disjointed in parts but, nevertheless, continues my recent love affair with French cinema from the 1960s because of its Gauloises-scented style.
Laughs: one
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10